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History of Tribeca Buildings

Best Market Has Closed

Best Market has closed after just over two years. Now that Independence Plaza’s owners, Vornado Realty Trust and Stellar Management, have declined to renew the lease for a school and a supermarket, perhaps they’ll tell us what exactly they have planned for the strip. (The above photo is old; as the tipster who sent the photo of the farewell note, below, said, “Doors locked! Done.”)

UPDATE 10/31: I received an email from a PR company representing Vornado Realty Trust and Stellar Management:

We saw your article on Best Market’s closing at Independence Plaza and we were hoping you could update with a statement on behalf of Vornado and Stellar Management. We were not contacted beforehand so would appreciate the opportunity to comment.

Statement from a spokesperson on behalf of ownership:

“Vornado and Stellar Management are disappointed Best Market has declined ownership’s offer to extend their lease at Independence Plaza and will be vacating the space. Stellar and Vornado are actively pursuing tenants for the space that will be a benefit to the residents and the surrounding community.”

That part about not being contacted is rich, considering the companies’ unresponsiveness in the past. Anyway, time will tell how much of the statement is cant. You will recall that these are the companies that aren’t renewing a school’s lease and have left many prime storefronts vacant for four years and counting.

56 Comments

DO no work for this company they break promises and favortizes certain people and push out people with disabilities! Best market it more like worst market. They refuse to unionize the company to protect their employee’s rights to protect their own pocket to keep their 600 million tax savings for themselves.

So sad, maybe the despicable landlords will give the tenants some information about the messy construction and noise that will be going on. They have never had any regard for tenants. No one is realizing how dark this block will be a night now.
It will be an issue.

The only ” affordable” supermarket in the area. Especially for seniors. so sad for the neighborhood. First supermarket which tenants fought for ” Food Emporium”. Its such a disgrace that these landlords get away with these horrible things that will effect everyone.

Greedy landlord strikes again! Trying to shut down PS 150, and now our only neighborhood supermarket, with reasonable prices! Now our only option is to shop at Whole(paycheck)Foods! Nope Not me! I will now be forced to shop in Jersey!

Food Emporium and Best Market were both good – though the seafood aisle was SCARY. I’ve shopped Trader Joe’s and don’t get what all the hype is about it. Whole Foods is laid out wrong – have to walk a football field to check out and then get back to the other end of the store, with groceries, to get home – is too busy most of the time, is understaffed and is overpriced. Target is over-priced. Washington Square Market is great on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but sometimes I just need to run out for some items to make dinner.

As of 10/30/2018 at 4pm, Chin’s office said that they are in active discussion with Vornado on PS 150 and Best Market. I agree that it seems like a slim hope on reversal, but I still think that it’s worth it to make your voice heard.

I sent Chin a notice over two months ago that they were about to go into negotiations for a new lease and I knew based on their past behavior, that they (LL and Vornado) wouldn’t be amenable to negotiation. I explained everything in the message since I saw that at another development Chin mentioned that she was notified “too late to be of any help”. Well, she had ample notice in this case. Never even got a response or confirmation from her or her office! So forget her notice – taking action after it’s already happened. Sad, sad. Best Market was a friendly and reasonable place to shop. Always agreeable and their night manager, Tony, was the most patient person I’ve ever encountered. If you wanted something, just ask and it was in stock. Very sad to see Best go. GREEDY SOB’S. It won’t be easy for me to shop now because I am disabled and everything is too far for me to walk with my walker. Thanks for nothing (again) Larry Gluck. I’m sure he sleeps soundly now that he got rid of a family supermarket AND a school in one fell swoop. There’s a special place in hell for these creeps.

Second thought: Grocery is notorious for being low margin, and with the new TJ, WF, and Target, it’s also possible that it wasn’t turning enough profit and end of month, even if abrupt, would be the time to cut losses.

As a resident in this nabe for over 40 years I have seen everything. Times change but people still go grocery shopping. I guess soon we’ll be forced to order everything through Amazon. I admit that some of their produce was wilted and not exactly fresh but if you went on the right day it was fresher and a lot cheaper than WF. No more Campbell’s Low Sodium tomato juice (6%), and other national brands. I found the employees always friendly and helpful, unlike WF since the Amazon takeover, who are probably working for slave wages.

Don’t forget there is Trader Joe’s on Spring & 6th which I frequent once a week. Target basement also but they don’t carry a lot of stuff. I feel for the seniors in our neighborhood. Where are they going to go?

So will Stellar ever repair their sidewalks? I had to help several old people in the past two years who have scooters or walkers because they were stuck in the cracked sidewalks. IPN is now a glorified slum. Rats, mice and roaches the size of palmetto bugs and constant elevator breakdowns. And they call it “Luxury Rentals”.

Stellar and Vornado are so greedy. I am a market rate tenant, so they are making plenty off of us – yet they continue to cut corners – not enough heat, broken sidewalks and staircases, charging a ridiculous price for the gym (does anyone even pay for that?), and now taking away one of the biggest reasons we moved here in the first place – a grocery store close by. And what is going to go in place of the market and the school?

You think that’s bad, wait until there’s a blackout and (1) your water goes off and use of the bathroom is out and (2) the hallways are completely black during an emergency – no safety lights. Despite many complaints the owners have successfully avoided having lighting in the halls during a blackout. Last one people were falling over each other going downstairs to get water than spilling the water and other people slipping and falling over the water! And finally last but not least: For 40 years we’ve been living with the possibility of a catastrophe with not having at least one elevator in each building having its own generator. When I asked why we couldn’t have this management said “that was too expensive”. Expensive? Even if that saves one life that would negate the expense. Yet we go on without this and police and fire cannot get to the upper floors in an emergency. Market tenants should get together and try to remedy this and many other things. You are paying exorbitant rents for “luxury” apartments – make sure you get what you pay for.

This is so heartbreaking!… Best was really really trying hard to accommodate our needs here… they were constantly improving their very impressive produce section and bringing in items that were in direct competition with WF… I shopped at both and combined which suited my needs… never plan to set foot in Target however…. TJ at Spring and 6th is pretty far to go with heavy bags…. Morgans has some things but prices have hit the roof and their hours are now cut from 24… forget Hudson Market — $7 for corn chips? who are they trying to kid….
sad day indeed.

I started working downtown across from City Hall park in 1995 when there were florists, shoe stores, shoe repair shops, hardware stores and many other small businesses. Today there isn’t 1 block where there isn’t construction of another residential/commercial building (90 percent of which is non English speaking meaning non Union) making it impossible to walk anywhere and there are at least 20 strollers on a block at any one time. I miss the old days.

Sara Ross, agreed! I started working in Tribeca in 1991. What a great location to be in!! A little grungy, but still good. Great, affordable restaurants, fun and ecletic shopping. I picked a different direction each day at lunchtime to walk, and always found interesting stuff to buy! Now, nothing. I walk around the block just to get fresh air. It is sad and depressing and has lost its charm. I am looking forward to retirement so I don’t have to come here anymore.

This is terrible news. Trying to push out a school and shutting down a well-loved market (overnight?). All those shuttered businesses in the strip–empty for years. Those workers were the nicest and most efficient anywhere. Did they get any warning? This was a fabulous, bright, cheery, affordable neighborhood market. Apples and chrysanthemums lining the sidewalk. What will replace it? Another empty, shuttered spot?

Best Market was a good store and i am sad to see it go. It seemed like the management really cared for the store and tried to make it a viable store. But I always felt that there were not enough customers in the store for it to make money. Expenses are so high – rent, electricity, heat, payroll taxes – so I always was wondering whether the store would make it. — I loved buying their apples in the fall. – And they had a great produce section. WF seems to be getting out control with prices lately and I am losing interest in that store. Something about it seems out of touch. i wonder if the managers think us customers are merely a bunch of data points. That is how I feel when in the store lately. Well, TJ’s will have to pick up the slack. This neighborhood is getting more boring every day.

some one really needs to investigate and get the truth about what Vornado’s 5 year plan is. They have tarted up the. empty commercial space but it looks no different. Just a little less derelict than. it did before. Rumors are flying which is why local representatives need to find the truth. Vornado bought Stellar’s dept on IPN and found themselves with a huge white elephant. 40 years old built in a time of the worst standards of construction. Few. fare market renters stay, so there is enormous turnover. It would be a good idea for the TA to find out how much has been converted fair market.
Many people complain about maintenance but the place but it is falling to pieces.Impossible to keep to standards. I think most people knew best market was closing. ‘under negotiation’I am sure. the rent far outweighed any income. It was abrupt though. It is not just whole foods that caused the problem, the massive influx of millennials who get delivery or order plated/Amazon Pantry etc.

I am very sad, my partner loved their feta, they carried my favorite pear soda, and even my vegan deli bologna, which can’t be found anywhere except Fairway. Everyone there was so sweet, and it was right across from our wine store. To all who are frustrated with the absence of simpler, cheaper offerings at Whole Foods: here are my few suggestions. Make sure to check out the deli on Bogardus, opposite King’s pharmacy, which has a surprisingly diverse array of pantry items, and frozen foods, and chocolates. King’s pharmacy, of course, is great for cleaning products, same as Bed Bath & Beyond, where they are often cheaper than elsewhere. Target has a good choice of packaged and frozen foods downstairs, and Amish Market comes well stocked with anything, including good dairy and deli. There’s also Fresh Direct, and FoodKick, if you can accommodate it, which is cheaper than WF and has a good balance of organic/natural and down-to-earth. Although, of course, I’m pretty sure neither of these options will compare to the ease of shopping for Independent Plaza and surrounding buildings citizens, at least we still have other options apart from Amazon.

Stellar management is greedy! They are making our neighborhood look like a ghostown! Thank god Duane Reade is still here but imagine if that were gone! Its not going to want to bring any new tenants if the neighborhood looks abandoned.

But in a phone interview with the Trib Tuesday evening, Or Raitses, co-owner of the Best Market chain, said, “There’s no hard feeling for us with the landlord.”

“They never asked us to leave but we were not profitable there,” he said. “To stay in the space with temporary extensions just didn’t make sense to us.”

Aside from the competition from Whole Foods, Raitses said, “Once Target [which sells groceries] came in, it put a little bit of headwind into our progress and then, also, we had a long period of time when there was scaffolding and screening in front of the store right when we opened. That made it very difficult for us to get some street awareness.”

By the time the store opened, Raitses said, there was only a year left on the former Food Emporium lease, which the owners extended for another year, ending last month.

“We wanted to give it a good shot,” Raitses said, “and simply the economics couldn’t make sense any more.”

Once opened Best Market had to deal with scaffolding that did impact sales. People had no idea that a supermarket was there. Right there Best Market should of sued the greedy landlord! Still waiting for Karma on the landlord all these years. Neglect for the neighborhood and its tenants.

Totally agree Native! Best Market was at a loss immediately when that scaffolding went up! A year and a half, it killed their business! Nobody is going to tell me that me that the landlord didn’t know that construction was going to be done on IPN! Best Market should have sued!

I would like to mention that if you’re looking for everyday grocery items at everyday supermarket prices, although it’s a schlep, the downstairs section of the 55 Fulton Street Market is run by Key Food. It has many of the same items the Best Market did, and is actually much better on price for most of them.

I never elected this Margaret Chin. The tenants association has continued to support her. God knows why. The tenants association is out only when voting time comes for their own benefit, that is all. The IPN tenants association has been very very quiet. “LAP TENANTS” have no worries. No downsizing no rise in income if a person in the home gets a raise or adult child works. They did what was right for them. Meanwhile the ” sticky voucher” who are literally stuck in this program “middle class” pays more then them. They left us in the cold. That is why when voting time comes and there all over IPN I walk right past them. No trust in them, they left seniors high and dry too. Only some old advocates trying to help them. Most had to move or downsize. Landlord has no regard for tenants or community. Always wished it would go private. Never happening. Its a disgrace.

I’m sad, even anguished. It would be awesome if there was a way to track the annual purchases by all of the other sad and anguished commenters since 2008 at Emporium/Best vs. Whole Foods (it opened that year) and Fresh Direct (it started reliable delivery service around then). For the record, I’ve only been to WF twice and have never used FD.

been at Best market twice a day every day. At least 4 times a week both me and my husband. Spent plenty of money in there. Never shopped online. just placed an order on peapod. also went to Target last night. The new normal is affordable super markets in NY do not exist. Only for the wealthy.

Peapod.com is great and same prices as Stop & Shop in Queens. Not for last minute items but I place big orders at least twice a month. AmazonFresh is awful since their takeover of Whole Foods. All of the specialty markets for prepared foods are no longer available. I have basically stopped using them.

While it may be true that the landlords are greedy, the main problem is that the store was not profitable as stated by co- owner of Best Market. It’s incredibly difficult for supermarkets to turn a profit today in expensive neighborhoods. Especially in the summer months when the neighborhood clears out for 3 months. All local businesses suffer in those months. There is no one shopping in supermarkets, or going to the local restaurants on the weekends. This has been a huge problem in the West Village which has seen almost all supermarkets (and delis) shut down because of slow to no business in the summer. As a neighborhood gets wealthier that is what seems to happen. Not only are residents away the summer months (or at least on weekends), but they also shop on line – there food delivery trucks in front of our building all day. Unfortunately this is the reality of living in a wealthy neighborhood.

How uncaring to close with no notice at all, not giving us steady customers any chance to stock up on essentials. This makes me wonder whether Best Market’s employees got adequate notice before the store closed.

Not to be forgotten as another stopgap until (optimistically) another grocery store moved into the space, is the Amish Market on W. Broadway at Murray Street.

However with so many street level vacancies in the IPN complex maybe something else is being planned.

I’m not sure what all the hate is for Whole Foods. Yea they don’t have the staple boxed brands, or the pesticides but they do have plenty alternatives that may offer a better option for those of you crying over how expensive it is. There is a misconception of it’s prices. It’s super cheap in some areas, especially now that Amazon owns it. Whole Foods is the best deal going in the neighborhood. Their 365 brand is beyond reasonably priced (much less than what was offered at Best Market), and their staples (eggs milk dairy meat and deli etc) are far less than what Best Market ever priced them. And they are better quality. (Erik, you had done an analysis of prices a few years back that showed just this) People love to hate it because it stands maybe for a lifestyle they’re not interested in. And of course there are specialty items there that are super pricey, but you don’t have to buy them. And if you’re an amazon prime member you can get an additional 10% off sale items. So complain all you want about Whole Foods and hating it etc, but you can’t knock for it’s prices. I’m sad that Best Market is going, it’s not the market for me, but I recognized the need and liked the diversity it offered. This is a direct result of the real estate holders. So don’t be so hating on the neighborhood options available. Put your anger and bashing efforts towards the politicians and real estate owners …which is the real reason Best Market is closed. It’s about Greed.

Trader Joe’s SoHo will deliver to Tribeca, but you do have to go to the store to place the order and be at checkout at least a half hour before a requested time slot (noon to 4, 4 to 8, 6 to 10, 8 to midnight).